You recall the aching feeling of darkness Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurgh could evoke just walking into a nearly deserted gas station in the movie No Country for Old Men?

That’s pretty much how you felt when Linden’s first answer to a question about the security of his head coach today on TSN 1040 rolled out. His words spiking the hair-lets on the back of your neck if you were listening closely.

“We know this topic has been widely covered and it’s definitely not something I, or we, plan to debate publicly,” he said.

Oh man. That’s cold. Ice cold.

There was no vote of confidence. There was, in fact, nothing at all.

It was extraordinarily un-Linden like, and ominous. This is the person who has long been the strongest voice in support of Willie, when the cameras were on or off, and there was no “at least they’re still working hard” bone.

Linden had one positive thing to say, and it was the structure the team was playing with, and that was management’s idea, as revealed recently.

Up to now I’ve tended to believe the team will be patient, mostly because it will look incredibly unstable if, or when, they fire their guy before 20 games are played in the season.

Some around the league thought it 50/50 Willie had coached his last game in Vancouver before this trip even began. That needle has not moved in Willie’s favour since.

Of course, Linden went on to detail how he believes the team is underperforming, which is the point that got the most play. But it was that first answer I kept coming back to.

Remember, it was just last week when Benning, in this same weekly radio spot, said the team was playing hard, the “right way” and the coaches have done a “good job.”

Today was quite the departure. And if the coach is sacked soon, you better believe today’s Linden is the interview they’ll be replaying.

The Canucks would have been very aware of that.

When even the most generally positive in the Vancouver media pack are calling out the coach – look around – you know Willie watch is real.

BEST PLAYERS

Speaking of dark places, close your eyes for a moment and envision a life without the Sedins.

For more than a year, the Canucks have been one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, with an awful power play and a habit of being alarmingly uncompetitive.

That’s with the Sedins and with them playing really well.

Can you imagine the black well of nothingness the franchise slides into if any of these things happen:

1, age pushes the Sedins game clear off a cliff.

2. They retire.

3. They’re traded.

There is no succession plan in place. Not now. Not in the future. There just isn’t a five year plan in this town.

I can understand why some are pushing for the Sedins to be traded. I can see how it may have to happen if the Canucks are to rebuild in the right way.

And those who say the Canucks should retain half their annually combined $14 million have it right. Selling off the Sedins — really an entire top six line — for a $7 million cap hit should be attractive to many contenders.

Though I have a hard time believing the Canucks can ever come close to getting fair value for them.

If they were to do it, it would either gut the franchise, leading to years of losing, or give the team the flexibility it needs to start a true, all-in rebuild.

But it’s not going to happen. There will be on Sedins trade. Not with the current regime.

The Canucks draft Larkin instead of Virtanen, which was considered by this staff, and he’s doing this for them.

That’s Baertschi, Gudbranson and then Horvat he circles, and he makes them all look like they’re standing still.

You think the Canucks could use some speed like that?

BEST DEATH STARE

Detroit broadcast on the Wings second goal.

“That didn’t look like a good goal for Miller to give up.”

No. No, it wasn’t.

Did Miller agree?

Not sure, but he did give Hutton an icy stare when it was all done.

But did he really think he was screened? The puck hit his thigh and took an odd skip.

Hutton definitely asked him, and got one of those classic Miller head shakes.

I sure hope he was saying “no, no my bad.”

Hutton has enough to worry about.

BEST DID YOU NOTICE

In that same 1040 interview today, Linden appeared to distance himself from his coach on the topic of one Bo Horvat.

In one of the more frustrating decisions of the Willie era, the head coach has continually described Horvat as a defensive forward, and mostly deployed Horvat’s line like a shut down line.

There have been many who see Horvat’s offensive instincts, and skill, and see that his defensive game has a long way to come.

They would like Sutter to take the tough defensive assignments, essentially protecting Horvat and giving him some softer minutes.

There’s been suggestions, especially when Willie started the season with Horvat on his fourth line, that the front office hasn’t always seen things Willie’s way when it comes to the centre.

That seemed to be the path Linden was on today.

“Bo obviously has some things to get better at away from the puck, and the defensive side of things. He knows that. He’s a great kid. But I agree, offensively, he will be and can be a real catalyst for our group.”

BEST JAB

BEST MORAL VICTORY

BEST OF JPAT

]BEST WHAT IFs

On this there is no debate. The Canucks handling of Jake Virtanen this season has been confusing and splattered with inconsistencies.

In its simplest terms, you have have a coach who won’t play him, at least not enough, and a front office that won’t send him to Utica, at least not for long enough.

It’s weird.

There have been some captivating subtexts, including his fitness, shoulder (is he hurt?), attitude (a team broadcaster called him out for not taking practice seriously enough) and whether the Canucks see him as a one-way power forward, something they keep suggesting with the “do something and score a goal” rationale for why he isn’t playing more.

There is the fact he’s been good defensively, this year and last, and has yet to be on the ice for a goal against in 2016-17.

There was his emboldened plea to the media for more ice time and the line he wanted to play on, which were both abnormal to hear from a 20-year-old in the NHL

There were comments from Linden, who said the Virtanen issue is something they talk about every day and then the latest from Benning who said Virtanen is going to Utica … but for just two games.

Wait, what?

Linden then countered it today when he suggested the Virtanen situation will be re-evaluated next week, though he didn’t further explain what the heck that means.

Meanwhile, Willie just flat out doubled down on Virtanen’s demotion, taking everything a step further, or was it a few miles?

I’m going to guess it would take longer than two games to prove you’re an elite player, unless Travis Green is palming some magic beans.

If the front office does have a Virtanen plan, it hasn’t been made clear. It’s not even clear if the GM and the Pres are on the same page here.

No one in the local media can seem to make sense of it, and mostly we’ve all just been blindly throwing darts.

The national media is jumping on, not only ripping the Canucks for the handling of Virtanen this year but last year too, when he probably should have been back in the junior playing 20 minutes a game. (mea culpas all around)

And you can’t forget Benning — who personally, as far as I’ve always known, couldn’t care less what people write or say — suggesting this week that the team risks market backlash when choosing to send Virtanen down.

It’s such an odd thing for a GM to say.

All of this reads like an good, old-fashioned cluster-F. And if you didn’t follow it closely for the past month, you probably wouldn’t believe it.

Some have theorized, publicly and behind the scenes, there is a tug-of-war between Benning and Willie who are at odds over where JV18 should be playing and how much.

But there is another sound, plausible theory making the rounds, and one that would lend a whole lot more clarity to why this seems like such a mess.

There certainly have been enough red flags in this one to make you wonder how involved ownership has been.

What if the owners had a little, however small, influence in drafting JV18 in the first place and know his family?

What if the owners see a local kid who the fans will rally around in a huge way if, and when, he has NHL success?

What if it was the owners who were concerned about a market backlash if the player was sent down?

Or better yet, what if it was the owners themselves were the ones looking down on it when a young player is sent down?

What if the owners didn’t want the player to be sent down and finally said they were willing to agree to it as long as it wasn’t for too long?

Huh.

Could all of this cause the messages and decision making from the front office and coaching staff to look, well, mystifying?

You’ll never get a straight answer on this — on, or off, the record. But just picture what it would say about the operation if it was happening.

Either way, it sure does make for an interesting game of what if?

BEST LEAVE YOU WITH THIS

Igor Larionov wrote a year ago about how important it was that Scotty Bowman did not bench his young players when they made mistakes.

“I remember Datsyuk made a couple turnovers in a game when he first came to Detroit at age 23.

“Players on the team like Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan, Steve Yzerman and myself had to tell him, “Pavel, just keep doing what you’re doing.” Thankfully, Scotty Bowman had the wisdom to see his potential.

“If he was on a different team with a different coach who did not appreciate that kind of unique skill, Datsyuk might have been out of the league.

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